泛美開發(fā)銀行（IADB）：提升拉美和加勒比地區(qū)的公路交通安全：行為經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)得到的教訓(xùn)

Increasing

ROADSAFETY

inLatinAmerica

andtheCaribbean

LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics

Cataloging-in-Publicationdataprovidedbythe

Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank

FelipeHerreraLibrary

Ramírez,Indhira.

IncreasingroadsafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean:lessonsfrombehavioraleconomics/IndhiraRamírez,CarlosScartascini.

p.cm.—(IDBMonograph;1168)

Includesbibliographicalreferences.

1.Economics-Psychologicalaspects-LatinAmerica.2.Economics-Phycologicalaspects-CaribbeanArea.3.Trafficsafe-ty-LatinAmerica.4.Trafficsafety-CaribbeanArea.5.Trafficaccidents-LatinAmerica.6.Trafficaccidents-CaribbeanArea.I.Scartascini,CarlosG.,1971-II.Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank.DepartmentofResearchandChiefEcon-omist.III.Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank.CountryDepartmentCaribbeanGroup.IV.Title.V.Series.

IDB-MG-1168

JELcodes:D91,I31,R41.

Keywords:Behavioraleconomics,Behavioralscience,Roadsafety,Roadcrashes,Pedestrianbehavior,Cyclistbehavior.

Designandlayout:

Copyright?2024Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank(“IDB”).ThisworkissubjecttoaCreativeCommonslicenseCCBY3.0IGO(/licenses/by/3.0/igo/legalcode).ThetermsandconditionsindicatedintheURLlinkmustbemetandtherespectiverecognitionmustbegrantedtotheIDB.

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TheopinionsexpressedinthisworkarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheInter-AmericanDevelopmentBank,itsBoardofDirectors,orthecountriestheyrepresent.

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics2

Increasing

ROADSAFETY

inLatinAmerica

andtheCaribbean

LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics

2

Behaviorand

RoadSafety

4

LeveragingBehavioralScienceforRoadSafety

1

Introduction

6

Conclusions

3

CognitiveBiases

andBehavior

5

ExamplesfromLatinAmerica

andtheCaribbean

ABSTRACT

RoadcrashesareasignificantpublichealthissueinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,re-sultinginastaggeringtollofapproximately110,000fatalitiesandover5millioninjuriesan-nually.Thesetragedieshavefar-reachingeconomicimplications,costingLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanbetween3and5percentofitsgrossdomesticproduct.Agreatmanyroadcrashescanbeattributedtoavarietyofunsafebehaviors,suchasdistracteddriving,speeding,andimpairmentfromalcoholordrugs.Throughanunderstandingofcognitiveandsocialfac-torsthatinfluencesuchbehaviors,behavioralsciencesoffervaluableinsightsfordevelopingeffectiveinterventionsandstrategiestopromoteroadsafety.Thisreportfocusesonthebe-havioralandcognitivebiasesthatmakeaccidentssocommoninourregion,oninitiativesimplementedaroundtheworldusingbehavioralinsightsthatcouldbebeneficialtotheregion,andonthebehavioralinterventionsthathavebeenimplementedinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeantoincreaseroadsafety.

WethanktheTransportDivisionoftheIDBfortheexchangeofideasandinformationthatmadethispublicationpossible.

Allillustrationsincludedinthisreportareatruerepresentationoftheinterventiontowhichtheyrelate.

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics4

1

INTRODUCTION

1.INTRODUCTION

RoadcrashesareamaincauseofprematuredeathsinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,es-peciallyamonglow-incomepopulationsandtheyoung.1Around110,000peopledieandmorethan5millionareinjuredannuallyinroadcrashesintheregion.Accidentsaretheleadingcauseofdeathforchildrenbetweentheagesof5and14andthesecondleadingcauseforyoungadults.Thepeopleaffectedarecommonlythoseintheirmostproductiveyears,betweentheagesof15and29,whichleadstoalossofproductivecapac-ityinourcountries.Annually,roadcrashescostfrom3to5percentoftheregion’sgrossdomesticproduct.

Thepoorestindividualsaredisproportionatelyaffectedbyroadcrashes.

Theyoftenlacktheresourcestoprotectthem-selves,recoverfrominjuries,orreceivepropercompensationandhealthcare.Theirlimitedac-cesstojusticeandadequatehealthcareexacer-batestheireconomicandsocialhardships,per-petuatingtheirvulnerabilityinthelongterm.

Amongroadusers,themostvulnerable—mo-torcyclists,pedestrians,andcyclists—accountformosttrafficfatalitiesintheregion,withmotorcy-clistscomprising26.5percent,followedbype-destriansat23.5percentandcyclistsat7.1per-cent.Thespecificimpactvariesbycountry,withmotorcyclistsmostheavilyaffectedincountrieslikeBarbados,Colombia,theDominicanRepub-lic,Jamaica,andSuriname,whilepedestrianspro-ducethemostfatalitiesinElSalvador,Guatemala,andPanama.IncountrieslikeArgentina,Bolivia,andChile,fatalitiesareprimarilyamongdriversandpassengersoffour-wheeledvehicles.

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TheWorldHealthOrganizationhasidentifiedroadtrafficinjuriesandfatalitiesasasubstan-tialpublichealthconcern,bothbecauseofthemanyliveslostandthelargepopulationthatisleftdisabledorsufferingotherconsequences.

Theproblemisespeciallysevereinlow-andmid-dle-incomecountrieslikethoseinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,wheresubstantialfinancialre-sourcesareallocatedtocareforandrehabilitatethoseinjuredinaccidents.Thestate,whichlarge-lycoversthiscarethroughpublichealthservices,incursasignificantsocietalcost.Aheavyanddis-tressingpsychologicalburdenisalsoimposedonthosedirectlyaffected,aswellasontheirfamilies,friends,andcommunities,emphasizingtheneedtounderstandhowthechaosontheroadsaffectspeople’smentalhealth.

Despiterecentinvestmentsintransportationin-frastructuretoprovideaccesstoessentialservicesandincreasetheproductivityoftheruralandur-banpopulations,roadsafetyimprovementsintheregionremainlimited.Effortstocreateinstitu-tionsandimplementactionstoreducefatalitieshavenotachievedthesameresultsasinhigh-in-comecountries,whichhavesuccessfullyreversedtheirupwardtrendsinvehicle-relateddeaths.

Behavioralscienceisamultidisciplinaryfieldthatstudiesthebehaviorofindividualsandgroups.Itdrawsonprinciplesfrompsychology,sociology,anthropology,economics,andotherso-cialsciencestounderstand,predict,andchangehumanbehavior.

Sincebehaviorplaysacrucial

roleinroadcrashesbydirectly

influencingtheactionsofdriversandotherroadusers,thetoolsofbehavioralsciencecanbeusedtoreducethelikelihoodofaccidentsbydelvingintothepsychologyofroadusers.2

1FactualinformationfromthissectioncomesfromPintoetal.(2023).

2Behavioralsciencehasproventhatitcanhelpsteerbehaviorsinacost-effectiveway,increasingtheimpactofpublicinterven-tionsandreducingthecostofpublicpolicy(Rapoport,RojasMéndez,andScartascini,2020).

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics6

2

BEHAVIORAND

ROADSAFETY

2.

BEHAVIORAND

ROADSAFETY

Imagineyouaredrivingonahighwayinarushtogettoyourdestination.Howmuchtimedoyouthinkyouwillsaveifyoudrivethelast10kilo-metersat60kilometersperhourinsteadof50kilometersperhour?Somemightanswerthir-tyminutes,othersten,buttheactualnumberismuchlower;youwillonlysavetwominutes.Thetruthisthatthehigheryourspeed,thelesstimeyousavebyincreasingyourspeedevenmore.

Thetraditionaleconomicmodelsuggeststhatallindividualshaveaccesstothisinformationandareabletoprocessthechangesinspeedsandtimesinstantaneously.Thisisnotseeninrealityonourstreets.Intherealworld,driversareofteninfluencedbycognitivebiases,emotions,andso-cialinfluences,leadingtodeviationsfrompurelyrationaleconomicdecisionmaking.

Roadcrashes,ingeneral,are

influencedbyacomplexinterplayoffactors.

Poorlydesignedormaintainedroadinfrastruc-ture,forexample,includinginadequatesignage,confusingintersections,poorroadsurfacecon-ditions,insufficientlighting,orlackofpedes-triancrossings,cancontributetocrashes.Sim-ilarly,roadsidehazards,suchasobstacles,sharpcurves,oranabsenceofbarriersclosetotheroad,canincreasethecrashes’severity.Vehicle-relatedfactorsmayincludemechanicalfailures,lackofmaintenance,defectivebrakesortires,orinadequatesafetyfeatures,suchasairbagsandseatbelts.Drivingcanalsoberenderedmore

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hazardousbyadverseenvironmentalconditions,includingweathereventslikerain,snow,fog,andicethatreducevisibilityandroadtraction,andglarefromthesun,whichcanaffectdrivervisi-bility.Inadequateenforcementoftrafficlawscanleadtomoreviolationsandriskybehaviorsontheroad.

Thisreportfocusesonthe

influenceoncrashesofroadusers,particularlyontheroleplayedbydriver,pedestrian,andcyclistbehaviors.

Driver-relatedbehaviorsthatmayleadtoacci-dentsincludedistracteddriving,impaireddriv-ing,fatigue,aggressivedriving,andfailuretoobeytrafficrules.3Driverscanbedistractedbyusingelectronicdevices,adjustingtheradio,eat-ing,orengaginginanyactivitythatdivertsatten-tionfromtheroad.Drivingundertheinfluenceofalcoholordrugsimpairscognitiveandmotorskills,significantlyincreasingtheriskofcrashes,anddrivingwhiletiredimpairsreactiontimesanddecisionmaking.Aggressivedrivingbehaviorsincludespeeding,tailgating,weavingbetweenlanes,roadrage,failuretoyieldtherightofway,andengaginginconfrontationalorintimidatingactionstowardotherdrivers;thesemayincreasenotonlytheriskbuttheseverityofcrashes.Dis-obeyingtrafficrulesby,forinstance,notwearingseatbeltsorrunningredlightsandstopsignsin-creasestheriskofinjuryordeathinacrash.

Pedestrians,likedrivers,also

havearesponsibilitytominimizetheriskofaccidentsbyfollowingtrafficrulesandexercising

caution.

3Driverbehaviormaybeinfluencedbyageandexperience,asindicatedbyWilliams(1997),Hartlingetal.(2004),andChap-man,Masten,andBrowning(2014).Cognitiveimmaturitycanleadtoimpulsiveactions,poordecisionmaking,andexcessiveconfidence—traitsoftenobservedinadolescentsandyoungadultswhoexhibitriskierdrivingbehaviors—whilealackofdrivingexperiencemayresultininappropriateresponsestoperiloussituationsordifficultieswithnighttimedrivingornavigatinginter-municipalroads.Olderpeoplemayhaveslowerreactiontimesorhealth-relatedissuesthataffecttheirdriving.

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics8

Jaywalking—crossingstreetsoutsideofdesig-natedcrosswalks,pedestrianbridges,orinter-sections—cancatchdriversoffguardandleadtoaccidents,ascanignoringtrafficsignals,suchascrossingonaredlightorbeforethe“walk”sig-nalappears.Usingsmartphones,headphones,orengaginginotherdistractionswhilewalkingcanimpairawarenessoftrafficconditionsandhindertimelyreactionstooncomingvehicles.Similarly,walkingwhileundertheinfluenceofalcoholordrugscanimpaircoordinationandjudgment,makingitmorechallengingtonavigatetrafficsafely.

Responsibleandcautiouscyclingisalsoessentialforsafety,both

thatofthecyclistsandoftheroadenvironmentoverall.

Cyclistsdisobeyingtrafficsignalsandsignscanleadtotheircollidingwithvehiclesorpedestri-ans,andtheymaybeatgreaterriskofinjuryiftheyridewithoutahelmetorwithoutreflective

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clothingorproperlightingtomakethemmorevisible.Usingsmartphonesorheadphonesoren-gaginginotherdistractionswhilecyclingcanim-pairawarenessoftheroadandsurroundingtraf-fic,andridingabicyclewithworn-outbrakesortiresorothermechanicalissuescancompromisesafety,aswell.Travelingonabicycleatexcessivespeedsforroadconditions,especiallyincrowdedareasoronbusystreets,canreducereactiontimeandincreasetheseverityofaccidents.Motoristsmayfinditdifficulttoanticipatethemovementsofcyclistswhodonotsignalturnsorstops,rideerratically,weavebetweenlanes,orfailtomain-tainaconsistentline.

Allofthesebehaviorsareinfluencedbycogni-tivebiases—thatis,inherentmentalshortcutsandpatternsofthinkingthatcanleadtosys-tematicdeviationsfromrationalityinjudgmentanddecisionmaking(KortelingandToet2022).

Cognitivebiasesaffecthowweperceive,inter-pret,andrespondtoinformation,ultimatelyin-fluencingourbehaviorandtheoutcomesofourdecisions.Recognizingandaddressingthemisessentialtomakingmoreinformedandobjectivechoices.

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics9

3

COGNITIVEBIASES

ANDBEHAVIOR

3.

COGNITIVEBIASES

ANDBEHAVIOR

Cognitiveorbehavioralbiasescansignificantlyinfluencetheeventualityofroadcrashesbyleadingdriversandotherroaduserstomakepoordecisions.

Thesebiasesresultfromthewayourbrainspro-cessinformation,oftenresultinginerrorsinourthinkingandperceptions.Theyarenotdeliber-ateorconscious;rather,theyarementalprocess-esofwhichwearenotaware.Thefollowingareamongthecommonbehavioralbiasesthatcanaffectroadsafety:

ìOVERCONFIDENCEBIASreferstotheten-dencyofpeopletobemoreconfidentintheirjudgmentsandabilitiesthantheirac-tualperformanceorunderstandingjusti-fies.Overconfidentroadusersmaybelievetheyarebetterathandlingriskysituationsthantheyactuallyare,leadingtoaggressivedriving,speeding,andthetakingofunnec-essaryrisks.

ìNORMALCYBIASreferstothetendencytounderestimatethelikelihoodofadisasterorsevereeventoccurringbecausethingshavebeen“normal”foranextendedperi-odoftime.Roadusersmayunderestimatetheseverityofasituation,assumingthatev-erythingwillcontinueasusual,evenwhenfacedwithdangerousconditionslikesevereweatherorroadhazards.

ìOPTIMISMBIAS,alsoknownaspositivitybias,isacognitivebiasinwhichindividu-alstendtounderestimatetheprobabilityofnegativeeventshappeningtothemwhilesimultaneouslyoverestimatingtheprob-abilityofpositiveeventsoccurring.Someroadusersmaybelievetheyarelesslikely

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toexperienceaccidentsornegativeeventsthanothers,leadingthemtodisregardsafe-typrecautions.

ìCONFIRMATIONBIASreferstothetenden-cyofindividualstosearchfor,interpret,fa-vor,andrememberinformationinwaysthatconfirmtheirpreexistingbeliefsorhypoth-eses.Driversmayselectivelyperceiveinfor-mationthatconfirmstheirpreconceivednotions,suchasassumingotherdriverswillyieldtherightofway,leadingtomisjudg-mentsandaccidents.

ìRISKCOMPENSATIONreferstopeople’stendencytotakeongreaterrisksinre-sponsetoabeliefthattheuseofsafetymeasuresortechnologiesmakesthemsaf-er,therebypartiallyorcompletelyoffsettingthebenefitsofthesafetymeasures.Someroadusersmayadjusttheirbehaviorbasedonperceivedrisk,engaging,forexample,inriskierdrivingbehaviorsbecausetheyas-sumetheadvancedsafetyfeaturesintheirvehicleswillprotectthem.

ìANCHORINGBIASoccurswhenindividualsrelytooheavilyonthefirstpieceofinforma-tiontheyencounter(the“anchor”)whenmakingdecisions,evenifthatinformationisirrelevantorarbitrary.Driversmay,forin-stance,anchortheirfollowingdistancetothecarinfrontofthem.Ifthatcaristail-gatingordrivingtooclosetothevehicleaheadofit,thefollowingdrivermayanchorhisorherbehaviortothisunsafedistance,disregardingtherecommendedsafefol-lowingdistance.Ingeneralterms,driversmayfixateonaspecificspeedordistancefromothervehicles,evenifit’sinappropriateforthecurrentconditions,leadingtoacci-dentswhentheyfailtoadapttochangingsituations.

ìTIMEDISCOUNTINGisthetendencyofindividualstoassignalowervaluetofu-turerewardsorcoststhantoimmediateones.Inotherwords,peopleoftenprefertoreceiveasmallerbenefittodayratherthanwaitforalargerbenefitinthefuture.

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics11

Driversmayprioritizeshort-termconve-nienceoverlong-termsafety,suchaschoos-ingtouseamobilephonewhiledrivingde-spitetheknownrisks.

ìAVAILABILITYHEURISTICreferstoamentalshortcutthatinvolvesmakingjudgmentsanddecisionsbasedontheeasewithwhichrelevantinformationcomestomind.Driv-erstendtoassesstheriskofcertaineventsbasedontheavailabilityintheirmemoriesofsimilarevents.Iftheyhaverecentlyheardaboutorwitnessedaspecifictypeofacci-dentorhazard,theymayoverestimatethelikelihoodofitshappeningtothem.

ìSTATUSQUOBIASisthetendencyofindi-vidualstopreferthingstostayrelativelythesameortomaintaintheircurrentstateofaffairs.Somedriversresistchangingtheirdrivinghabitsorroutes,evenwhensaferalternativesareavailable,becausetheyareaccustomedtotheircurrentroutines.

ìSTEREOTYPEreferstoafixed,oversimpli-fied,andgeneralizedbelieformentalim-agethatindividualsholdaboutaparticu-largroupofpeopleorthings.Oftenarisingfromcognitiveshortcutsandgeneraliza-tions,stereotypescaninfluencehowpeo-pleperceive,judge,andinteractwithothersandcaninfluencebehaviorsontheroad.Stereotypesaboutgenderdifferencesindrivingabilities,forexample,suchasabe-liefthatwomenarelessskilledormorecau-tiousdriversthanmen,canleadtobiasedbehaviorsliketailgatingoraggression.4

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Cognitiveoverloadandsocialnormsareotheraspectsof

behaviorthatinfluencethe

occurrenceofcognitivebiasesinroadusers.

Cognitiveoverloadoccurswhenanindividual’scognitiveresourcesareoverwhelmedbythevolumeorcomplexityofinformationandtasksthatneedtobeprocessedsimultaneously.Cog-nitiveoverloadcanleadtodecreasedcognitiveperformance,decision-makingerrors,reducedattention,andincreasedstress.Itcanhaveasig-nificantimpactonroaduserbehaviorthatmayleadtounsafedrivingpracticesandgreaterrisktaking.Driversmayexperiencecognitiveoverloadwhentheyattempttomultitask,suchasbyus-ingamobilephoneandtextingwhiledriving.Try-ingtoadjustin-carentertainmentsystemswhiledrivingmayalsopromptit.Thisdividedattentioncanresultindistracteddriving,reducedreactiontimes,andanincreasedriskofaccidents.

Socialnormsare“theinformalrulesthatgov-ernbehavioringroupsandsocieties”(Bicch-ieri,Muldoon,andSontuoso2018).Thesenormsshapehowpeopleinteractandconformtosoci-etalstandards.Theycanvaryacrosscultures,andtheymayevolveovertime.Failingtocomplywithsocialnormscanbemetwithdisapprovalfrompeers.Withreferencetoroadusers,socialnormsaretheunwrittenrulesorexpectationswithinasocietyorcommunityregardinghowindividualsshouldbehavewhendriving,walking,orcycling.

Somesocialnormsrelatedtoroaduserbehav-iorcanbedetrimentaltoroadsafetyandoverallsocietalwell-beingbyencouragingortoleratingbehaviorsthatareunsafe,discourteous,orevenillegalontheroad.Insomecommunitiesorsocialgroups,forexample,anormmaypromotespeed-ingasasignofconfidenceorawaytoassertdom-inanceontheroad.

4AsoutlinedbyJimenez-Mejiasetal.(2014),aseriesofsurveysconductedwith1,574studentsattheUniversityofGranadainSpainfrom2007to2010demonstratedthatmenaremorepronetoviewthemselvesassuperiordriversanddisplaygreatercon-fidenceintheirdrivingabilitiesthanwomen.Similarly,inresponsetothe2019RoadRiskPerceptionSurveyconductedbytheDistrictSecretariatofMobilityinBogotá,Colombia,72percentofrespondentssaidtheybelievedthatwomenaremorecautiousontheroadthanmen,while60percentagreedwiththenotionthatwomenarelessskilleddrivers(AlcaldíaMayordeBogotá,DC2019).Thisperceptionthatmenarebetterdriversthanwomencanresultinmen’sdrivingathigherspeeds,evenwhenchildrenareinthevehicle(Montoya-Robledoetal.2020).

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics12

Dataindicate,forinstance,thatyoungmen,incontrasttowomen,typicallyhaveagreaterpro-pensityforrisk-taking,pursuingintenseexperi-ences,drivingathighspeeds,exhibitingantisocialconduct,overestimatingtheirdrivingproficiency,andsuccumbingtoexternalinfluences(OECD2006).5

Similarly,certainsocialcirclesmayexhibitacasu-alattitudetowarddrinkinganddriving.AcrossallcountriesinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean,theproportionoffatalitiesduetoalcoholcon-sumptionamongindividualsages15andolderisconsistentlygreaterformalesthanforfemales(Pintoetal.2023).Negativesocialnormsarealsoprevalentregardingtheuseofhelmetsamongfemalebicycleusers.StudiesconductedinCo-lombia,Japan,andtheUnitedStatesshowthat

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womenoftenconsiderhelmetsuncomfortable,ugly,andunflatteringtotheirphysicalappear-ance(Garrard,Handy,andDill2012;Montoya-Robledoetal.2020).

Understandinghowbehavioral

biases,cognitiveoverload,and

socialnormsinfluenceroadusers’behaviorcanhelpusdevelop

interventionsthatmitigatetheireffects.

Thenextsectiondiscussessomeofthewaysbe-havioralscienceprinciplescanbeapplied.

5Incontrast,womentendtoembracecautiousbehaviorsthatminimizetheirvulnerabilitytoroaddangers(Cordellierietal.2016).EvidencefromseveralEuropeannationsindicateswomenarelessinclinedtoengageinrecklessdriving,typicallyadheretolowerspeedlimits,andobeytrafficregulationsmorecloselythanmen(EuropeanTransportSafetyCouncil2013).

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics13

4

LEVERAGING

BEHAVIORAL

SCIENCEFOR

ROADSAFETY

rewards,strengtheningofpublicpolicyandlegis-lation,andstrategicdesignofroadinfrastructure.

LEVERAGING

BEHAVIORALSCIENCEFORROADSAFETY

Behavioralsciencecanenhanceroadsafetythroughanunderstandingofthecognitiveandpsychologicalfactorsinfluencingroaduserbe-havior.Byapplyinginsightsfromthisfield,poli-cymakersandsafetyorganizationscandesignmoreeffectiveinterventions,makingroadssaferforeveryone.Somebehavioralscienceapplica-

tionsincludetheusetionandawarenessniques,feedbackand

tech-and

ofopticalillusions,educa-

campaigns,nudging

monitoring,incentives

Thesearediscussedindetailbelow.

OPTICALILLUSIONS

Opticalillusionscanbeusedstrategicallytoincreaseroadusersafety.Paintedroadmark-ingsthatcreatetheillusionofnarrowinglanesor

5BacktoContents

createtheappearanceofspeedbumps,forexam-ple,canbeplacedinareaswherereducingvehi-clespeedisnecessary.Theseillusionsgivedriverstheimpressionthattheyneedtoslowdown,evenfnophysicalobstaclesarepresent,whichcanbehelpfulinschoolzonesorareaswithhighpedes-triantraffic.

AnexampleknownforitssuccessistheopticalillusionadoptedbytheChicagoDepartmentofTransportationinthecityonthecurveatOakStreetonLakeShoreDrive.Foryears,thecurvewasknownasacrashhotspot,eventhoughitsdesignwasbasedontypicalengineeringguid-anceforcurves.TheDepartmentofTransporta-tionatfirstrespondedwithgradualalterations,suchasmakinglanemarkingsmoredistinct,en-largingcurvewarningsigns,andaddingflashinglights,butthesemeasureswereineffective.Thedepartmentthenpaintedasetoftransversebarsontheroadwaythatgetclosertoeachotherasdriversapproachthecurve(seeImage1),makingthemthinktheyaregoingfasterthantheyactu-allyare.TheDepartmentofTransportationhasreportedanimprovementindriverbehaviorandareductioninthenumberofcrashessincetheimplementationofthismeasure.

IncreasingRoadSafetyinLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean|LessonsfromBehavioralEconomics15

5BacktoContents

Thepaintingoftransversestripeshasalso

provedeffectiveinhelpingcyclistsadapttheir

speedbeforeintersections.Aninterventionim-

plementedinSweden,designedbyMeBeSafe6

(2023),hadanarrayofstripesrunningrightacross

thebicyclelane,gettingcloserandclosertogeth-

erastheintersectionapproached(seeImage2.

ltseffectivenesswastestedbyplacingonecam-

eraoneachsubject'sbicycletocapturespeedand

trajecto